Long-delayed Bristol wave pool project commits to The Cove

Wavegarden Cove projects are the new Model T and Josema Odriozola, Wavegarden’s Founder and CEO, is the new Henry Ford – only instead of cars, he’s building surf-able pools for the public.

As Urbansurf plans on Cove models in West Australia, Melbourne and Sydney (with work commencing in Melbourne as we speak) the belated-but-much-loved Bristol wave pool project known simply as The Wave announced it has committed to using Cove technology. Which means the stars have finally aligned for Bristol.

You might remember Bristol as the bright-eyed and optimistic location for the world’s first surf-specific wavepool back in 2014. In fact they started the project at the same time as Surf Snowdonia – which is now open for its third season.

So what happened? A lot. The Wave project was hit with delays including a change in wave-generation technology as well as local permit issues. Then there was the funding, which had several rounds as the price of the project increased.

The Cove meets The Wave

The Wavegarden Cove generates up to 1000 waves per hour, with heights starting at 50cm and peaking close to 2m. The cool thing about Cove technology is that it can host up to 80 surfers at the same time with six different surfing zones and a variety of wave types.

The Cove is the workingperson’s wave. Where the Kelly Slater Wave (or Kelly Slater Wave Co. as it’s officially known) produces roughly one wave every five minutes, The Cove boasts 1000. This waves-per-hour ratio means the Cove has legitimate commercial viability and that you might be jumping in for a surf somewhere around 2019.

The Wave’s Founder, Nick Hounsfield, has invested the past six years of his life advancing the project with blood, sweat and tears. The announcement was very sweet.

“It has been a long journey, however we have now secured the land, planning permits, finance, as well as an expert team to make our vision a reality,” he said. “It is all systems go and we are now on site preparing for construction. We looked at a number of different wave-making suppliers to provide us with what we needed: a high frequency of ocean-like waves and a commercially viable business plan. Our research concluded with the Wavegarden Cove.”

“We are pleased to finalize our partnership with The Wave and build a Wavegarden Cove in Bristol” he said. “We know the UK has a strong appetite for surfing and we’re confident The Wave Bristol is going to be a great destination for surfing.”

The development of The Wave Bristol project represents a special milestone for Wavegarden, as it will be the first full-size public Cove facility in Europe and the second in the world after Melbourne, Australia. If all goes according to plan, Hounsfield and his team aim to test the first waves mid 2019, and open the complex to the public in Autumn 2019.